


Sapphire Heart

by GothamKidd



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gang Violence, Gangs, Gen, OC main character, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 02:42:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30031806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothamKidd/pseuds/GothamKidd
Summary: Republic City. A beautiful place where the world famous pro bending matches occurr, major businesses thrive and famous benders frequent. Also a grand location for people from all nations to relish in luxury like the world had never seen or just to enjoy the casual city life. At least that’s what most outsiders think. But not for her. To her, Republic City was just a war zone along with the rest of the world. An endless battle between gangs, terrorists, businesses and ideals all for the sake of power. Was this the kind of power that she desired but was never granted? Although her childhood was stolen from her, she still wasn’t sure if this was what she was destined to do. Would her parents be proud of who she had become? Could she recover and become the perfect figurehead of whom she looked up to so much? At this point, it didn’t matter, just getting through the day was a task and a half, but maybe the answers she desired would unravel themselves with the appearance of the Avatar. She knew things never went as planned, but until she got her answers, she was going to destroy anyone who got in her way. That was what her life as a gang boss taught her anyway. Whether that was right or wrong, well that was a mystery.
Kudos: 1





	Sapphire Heart

_”Hey Kaili.”_

_..._

_”Hey c’mon, it’s time to get up.”_

_....._

_”Look, if you don’t get up we’ll be late for Mom’s training and I’m not getting in trouble because you just want to be lazy.”_

_......._

_”C’mon I know you’re upset that you haven’t been able to bend yet but you have to keep trying! It’s not like Mom and Dad are gonna give up on you. Watch before you know it, Mom will have you firebending in no time! Or maybe you’ll learn waterbending from Dad!”_

_..........._

_”Alright, times up. You’re getting up whether you like it or not! Hey, you hear me? Hey!”_

_———————————————_

“Hey.”

...

“Hey!”

.....

Damn it. Was it time already? She could’ve sworn they had about three hours to rest up before they needed to get this crap done.

“Get up.”

A stern nudge from a knee was all it took for the once unconscious woman to arise from her sleep. Scoffing at her untimely awakening, she thoroughly ran tan fingers over her baggy eyes in an effort to rub the heaviness out of them. With the savage tension that coursed through the city for the last couple of weeks, adjusting to this exhausting routine was almost overwhelming on her body. She had no right to complain though, this was the life she chose for herself. Besides, there was no time to be out of energy, not when there was a fight on her hands. 

In their line of work, anyone who thought they could screw her over was simply looking for a death wish. And today, she planned on granting said wish to anyone who would get in her way.

Rising to her feet, she stood atop the glossy black rooftop, the rainfall from earlier in the day giving the massive city a rugged, musky scent. The ambience was clearly ominous, the full moon barely able to shine its light through the dark clouds, the thick wave of fog that currently rolled through the metropolis multiplied the shady effects of the city at night. 

Fitting for a city as enticing yet dangerous as Republic City. Thousands upon thousands of people always wanted to reside here, but not many had what it truly took to survive.

“You ready?” The man next to her spoke flatly, only offering a quick glance out of the corner of his bright amber eyes, a cold yet fierce gaze that only a select few could say they owned. It was quite nostalgic for her.

“Yeah...let’s go.” Kaili answered with a slight pause between her words, her rugged voice almost monotone. With that, her partner casually strolled off the front of the building, disappearing into the depths of the gray mist that covered the city streets beneath them. With him entering through the front, she’d have all the time she needed to get the job done. At this time of night, the bar would surely be lively, whether it was people simply looking for a fun night or shady people looking to do some business. It didn’t matter to them though, all that meant was more bystanders, or in this case, more witnesses. 

Ultimately, that meant collateral damage was tolerable, if anything guaranteed.

Kaili made her way to the side of the building, performing a similar stunt as her partner. Descending, her fingers and shoes lightly grazed the side of the slick building as she slid down. Nearing her checkpoint, the air rushed past her as if she were free falling through menacing clouds, the concrete below quickly coming into view. To most people with her inabilities, this would seem almost suicidal, but mobility was definitely a key part of her skill set. If anything it was absolutely required that she was capable of moving with swiftness and finesse.

Pushing off the wall, Kaili soared momentarily before latching onto cold metal that was a nearby light pole. Doused in fog, her muscles flexed as she swung herself forward. 

Once.

Back.

Again.

Back.

Building up as much momentum as she could, she leapt onto the alley concrete, her landing smooth as butter, nothing more than a rain drop in the night.

Calmly, she made her way through the puddle filled backstreet to the alleyway door, a small gust of cool air escaped her full lips as she came to a stop. She pulled her white and black hood over her head and equipped an antique white mask that apparently resembled the dragons who once roamed the world freely. Or so she was told by her mother. As a child, Kaili definitely entertained the old tales but now at adulthood, all it represented were distant memories of simpler times, something she could not afford to cherish.

As per usual, she began to feel her body tense up, her heart beat slowed and her blood seemingly ran cold. She still didn’t know if it was from excitement or nervousness. Anticipation or even skepticism. Regardless, she actually came to enjoy the feeling over time. While her body tensed, her mind would go blank, the lack of thought or emotion actually made her feel at peace for once. It was the absolute calm before the storm, something she could always look forward to. It gave her some insight to truly feel alive in this vast world without having to consider if she’d make it to the next day. 

Unfortunately, it never lasted too long.

Kaili closed her eyes, unlike her brother's which were amber red and bright like their mother's, her's were usually dull, more inline with blue like their father's. But even so, her eyes weren't like others who had a parent from the water tribe. They resembled nothing of the typical calming oceans, lavish lakes or vast seas like they used to.

But now of a river of muted, raging fire.

In conjunction with her thoughts, massive flames burst through the dim bar windows to her left, shards of airborne glass flying in random directions, fire flooding the front of the alley in a starving blaze. A symphony of screams from both pain and despair pierced the once calm city night, a sound that became much more frequent than most were comfortable with. People spilled out of the establishment as well as other neighboring buildings, scrambling to get their friends, loved ones or themselves to safety. A cloud of charcoal gray began to sift out the cracks and holes of the now decaying building, the interior gaining a devilish red glow from the intense heat. 

This was it, they were on the clock now.

As rambunctious as it seemed, Kaili had boxed out any excess noise, all of the chaos registered to her senses in slow motion, muffled and numbed as if she already digested the reality of the devastation. The only thing she was truly aware of were the sounds of her light breaths echoing within her mask.

The moment was near. She could feel it. The red light that peaked from within the bar encased in smoke began to mix with a flashing blue, similar to that of a malfunctioning, flickering light. Crackling sparks flashed and popped in sporadic patterns, small specks of light blue energy floated around and built up nearby her at rapidly increasing speeds. And then, it all rushed inwards.

Everything was silent for a peaceful moment. But it was only a moment.

A devastating bolt of vengeance ripped through the building in front of her, the crushing thunderclap of destruction from within could be heard for miles followed by more loud screams as the front of the structure began to collapse on itself.

That was her cue.

Kaili kicked open the door, not shocked in the slightest at what she had seen. Those who were lucky enough to avoid the bolt of lighting were either already faltering from the fire and smoke or was combating the debris that had toppled over in the back of the bar. The ones who had been struck, well, they no longer had to worry about anything else.

Rushing through the mayhem of horrified citizens and criminals alike, Kaili leapt over a group of dazed enemies towards the metal rail of the fallen staircase as another blast of searing fire scorched everything beneath her, exploding through the wall which drowned out any final cries of agony. Gathering herself, she tightroped up the rail and jumped onto the nearby wall, using the force to wall bounce back onto the second floor as she was greeted with a rather drab hallway with two aghast men, one of them being just the man she was looking for. A non-bending traitor who ran off to a different legion and served as a constant thorn in her side for the past month. From all the information that he could be supplying her rival gang with, it was obvious as to why the raids on her people have been more efficient than usual. 

“What the hell is going on?” The other man in front of her shouted urgently in an effort to get some form of insight. Meanwhile Kaili could smell the fear from her former ally, the look of horror on his face almost akin to someone seeing a dark spirit for the first time in their life. 

Well the experience was close enough.

Kaili sharpened her gaze in response as she unsheathed a blue miao dao sword from its uniquely designed scabbard, ultimately giving away her alliance as she steadied her weapon overhead, the sword’s tip leered towards her enemies in the stance of an offensive samurai. The long, curved blade glistened in its full view, a hint of red staining the azure blade even prior to its first strike.

“Shit, she’s the Princess of the Agni Kai’s!” Without much hesitation after his comrades realization, the traitor turned heel and sprinted in the opposite direction while Kaili internally cringed. 

She hated that title. She was undeserving of it.

Kaili’s eyes momentarily flickered before racing to engage her enemies, long swift strides gained on the two gang members even while holding her sword in both hands. The braver of the two gathered water from his pouch, syphoning the liquid into sharp icicle structures that hovered with malice. Eyes flashing instinctively, Kaili leapt to her right nearly colliding with the wall in an effort to dodge the incoming attack.

Ice shot past her in a blink of an eye, her left cheek painlessly slit open, a familiar cool feeling spread thereupon as two more of the shards stabbed firmly into her left arm. Bolting her molars shut in firm frustration, Kaili slid to avoid the deadly projectiles that were redirected at her skull, instead rocketing above her and imbedding themselves into the back wall.

The waterbender scurried away from Kaili, reaching his arms out with a hefty grunt and began to pull backwards. She could hear the shifting of ice shards behind her as she regained her footing and sprinted forward. Wasting no time, she reached into the pouch on her right thigh while carrying her miao dao in her opposite hand, twirling the hidden butterfly sword and launching it forward with pristine accuracy. Harmlessly, the killer icicles plummeted down the former staircase, the wide eyed waterbender immediately losing control of them from the critical hit, only able to respond through sputtering coughs of relentless anguish. With the blade stuck through his neck, Kaili slashed the man across his stomach, moving past him as a burst of crimson splattered against the floor like a sloppy coating of paint. Grabbing her butterfly sword from behind, she ripped it from the flesh that it was once buried into, the gushing, lifeless body spinning to the ground from the pure force. With both herself and her blades tainted red, Kaili dashed around the corner of the hallway in pursuit of the other Red Monsoon coward. 

She could feel the searing sensations pound at her arm whilst gripping her weapon, dark crimson splotches traced down her sleeve to the hilt of her sword. She never planned on getting any injuries this time around but regardless, that had never stopped her before. The traitor managed to gain some distance on her due to her short lived battle, and while it was a pain, she had to make sure to get rid of him swiftly.

Sheathing both of her swords, she reached behind her back, unbuckling black leather straps on a quiver that was perpendicular to her scabbard. With haste, she swung a black bow in front of her, her bloodied hand grabbing hold of the grip while reaching for ammunition with the other, eyes locked in on the back of the man’s head all the while.

However, without warning, a door to the left of her burst open. Kaili shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the swinging doorframe as her eyes redirected and focused, bright and dilated on more targets.

Whipping a random amount of arrows for use, she fired off two in quick succession, one puncturing a worried Red Monsoon member through his skull while the other who opened the door was struck in the face at point blank range. Planting a foot into the ground, Kaili launched a devastating kick that crashed the man’s head through the wooden frame, she took the opportunity to reach into his pocket, an obvious indent of some sort of weapon nestled within. Pulling out the knife, she quickly tossed the cover to the side and mercilessly impaled the man through the back of his neck, ending his misery in a matter of seconds.

Spinning around, there was no sight of her target, another distraction which allowed him to gain distance. After a deep growl rumbled from the depths of her throat, Kaili sprinted around the corner, bow and arrow ready to fire. For a split second she could see the runner around the corner and for someone of her skill, that was all she needed. Kaili dropped to a knee as she launched an arrow that whistled through the air with remarkable trajectory and speed, but alas, was a tad late. He was able to make it past the corner before her killer arrow could connect, instead sticking itself firmly into the old wooden wall.

Kaili cursed under her breathe as she took off after him. The flames from below gradually ate away at the wooden flooring beneath her, smoke began to invade the halls as the building continued to falter. 

She raced around the following corner, this time greeted with an open window that led back into the cool Republic City night. If he thought he could escape her in the safety of the night, he was sorely mistaken. The night was when she operated at her best.

She leapt onto the window frame and put away her bow, her eyes darted around until she spotted him frantically running up the rusted fire escape. Kaili grabbed the metal, nothing below her but the city streets from a two story height. With a grunt she forced herself upwards, climbing through the escape as if she were climbing a tree, twisting, turning and flipping any which way she could to scale the metal structure. Compared to him scrambling on the stairs, she gained on him with ease, even with the hindrance of her wounded arm. He could only gasp at what he saw before he crashed into the ladder that would lead them to the rooftops.

She had him.

Her eyes glistened, rising from below like a demon spirit ready to drag someone to the depths of hell. She swiped at his leg, but still too slow as he managed to escape her grasp up the ladder. Pulling herself upwards from the side of the fire escape at five stories high, she pursued him to the roof.

By the time she made it to the top, he was already halfway across, but even with that distance he was still in her kill zone. Dashing after him, he looked back for a split second to gauge the separation between them and without a second thought, launched himself over the ledge. 

How desperate one could get when she was on their tail.

Without a misstep, she pulled her bow and arrow back out and vaulted over the side of the building as everything slowed down to a crawl. 

It was quite the sight, seeing herself fly through the gap between buildings, her target gliding in front of her with flailing arms. The thick fog and smoke concealed this entire bout from the public while people focused on the ensuing fire.

She could feel her mind go blank, her heart beat drop and her blood almost ceased to flow. A breathe escaped her lips, her eyes no longer dull, but wide, blue and alive. She pulled back the string on her bow to align the perfect shot. With no time to adjust her aim and without another second passing, she fired.

Like a hawk skydiving on its prey at max speed, the arrow penetrated through the man’s knee, jeopardizing his landing as he crashed atop the wet rooftop, tumbling in a fit of uncoordinated spins. Kaili landed with a quick roll to cushion her fall and returned her bow to its quiver all in one fluid motion. With the menacing intent of a killer, she dove on top of the man as he tried to recuperate, a fatal mistake on his behalf as she managed to straddle his chest, pinning an arm to his side with her powerful legs after a short scuffle on the ground.

Pulling out her left butterfly sword, she stabbed towards his head but through pure reflexes or luck, he caught her wrist just before his impending doom. Kaili gritted her teeth, her arm shook from the struggle of both parties. But gradually, she could feel the strength in her left arm giving out, more than likely from all of the blood loss that she had to withstand throughout this entire chase.

“K-Kaili! Wait just a second. I can explain!” The traitor began to toss pointless sentimentalities to her that were ignored without a second thought. It was far too late in the game for that.

“You’ve made your choice, bastard. Now you have to live with it...” With venom in her words, Kaili grabbed her other bloodied butterfly sword, already dripping from her earlier kill. His eyes widened in realization but at this point, there was nothing that he could do.

“...And die by it.” Without mercy, she plunged the knife into his face, retracted it and impaled him once more for good measure.

It was over. The mission was a success.

Breathing heavily, she rose off of the corpse, her hands soiled crimson matching with the blood already spilling excessively onto the roof as Kaili returned all of her weapons into their rightful places. Looking to her left, she could already see water being tossed into the fire, a useless effort from the city to somehow save the burning Red Monsoon hideout, but at this point, all they could do was prevent the fire from spreading to other residencies. While the fire was massive and the amount of smoke was a clear indicator of it, she didn’t expect this quick of a response from the city. It was actually kind of troubling.

With a sigh, she began to make her way to the side of the building, leering over as she planned an escape route back into Agni Kai territory. With all the blood on her skin and clothes, there was no way she could take to the streets. Slowly, Kaili began to balance on a wire that led to the building across from her. While risky, she couldn’t afford to stick around and think because it was only a matter of time before the-.

“Don’t make another move.” The voice of a middle aged woman snapped into Kaili’s ears, her body coming to a sudden stop directly above the streets below. Without even looking her way, she had already identified who her pursuer was, her voice was almost immediately recognizable, especially considering how often she’d hear her talk to the public about all the gang activity through the radio. 

Leisurely, she crouched atop the wire and looked behind her to see the enforcer of Republic City fully equipped to try and put a stop to the madness with two other officers, not that they would ever succeed in doing so.

“Lin Beifong,” Kaili spoke bitterly, scowling behind her mask now covered in splotches and stripes of blood. 

Each night just got better and better.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! My first story on this site so hooray for that. As a fan of Avatar, I couldn’t help but rewatch the series since it was put on Netflix, but since I remembered the show so well, I wanted to enjoy something else Avatar related. But something fresh. So although I’ve had my doubts, I decided that it’d do me no harm to watch the Legend of Korra. Currently I’m halfway through season 2 and it’s decent enough for me to keep watching. What I do love is Republic City, however. As a New Yorker, I could literally feel the vibe of Republic City deep within my soul. Which also led me to want to explore the gang life a bit more, I felt like it’d be interesting to expand on it from the POV of a gang member. Now I know that at some point, it is expanded upon in canon but I want to do my own spin on it as the story of Korra occurs. So while I do plan on adding a shit ton of original content, it won’t diverge from the plot of Korra whatsoever. At least for Book 1 and Book 2 events, if anything it’ll directly coincide with them. And I do expect my character(s) to come in contact with canon characters quite frequently, as you can already see, Lin is on the prowl for some gang heads already.
> 
> On that note, how’d you guys enjoy it? A bit violent wasn’t it? Wanted this chapter to be a tone setter as well as practice on writing action sequences all in one. At about 3.4k words, hopefully I was able to engage you all, I’m not sure if I plan on going much higher than that, but I definitely won’t go for anything below 3k words. Also I hope you all enjoyed the introduction of Kaili as this story is about her journey. I thought what better way to introduce her than her doing a nice organized gang related attack, because why not! There’s also a lot of mystery to her (at least I hope), her background and her desires so I can’t wait to bring you all along for the ride. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Until next time, peace!


End file.
